- WA: Recall petition filed against Seattle mayor
Source: Fox 13 Seattle
“Two people in Seattle have submitted a petition to recall Mayor Katie Wilson, alleging she has ‘neglected her legal duty to maintain public safety and peace.’ The recall petition comes amid a slew of city controversies, the latest being the continued fallout from the deadly Bite of Seattle shooting, and the forced resignation of Police Chief Shon Barnes. Melinda Jacobson and Dale Osterud filed the recall petition with the King County Elections Office on Tuesday, Aug. 11, alleging that Wilson is ‘derelict in her duties for public safety’ of the City of Seattle. … According to the King County Elections Office, recall charges must undergo a technical review by the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Elections officials say this is where the recall effort is currently.” (08/12/26)
https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/petition-recall-seattle-mayor-katie-wilson
- Australia: Jury convicts former Catholic bishop of sexually abusing two men
Source: Osceola County Herald Review
“An Australian jury on Thursday convicted a former Catholic bishop renowned for hosting alcohol-fueled house parties of sexually abusing two young Indigenous men. The District Court of Western Australia jury convicted Christopher Saunders, 76, of 13 out of 19 charges of sexual abuse that allegedly occurred between 2008 and 2019 in his sprawling diocese on the country’s tropical northwest coast. Prosecutors alleged he lured young Indigenous men to his church-owned house in the tourist town of Broome with free alcohol and cigarettes paid for with church funds. … The convictions included one count of sexual penetration without consent and a dozen indecent assaults.” (08/13/26)
- Before regulating AI, define strict limits for the government
Source: Washington Post
by Derek Kan“Three approaches to regulating the artificial intelligence industry have been gaining traction in recent weeks: Sam Altman’s call for an international regulatory body, styled after the International Atomic Energy Agency; a bipartisan House proposal that would subject AI developers to audits by government-licensed verification organizations, similar to the Federal Aviation Administration’s aircraft certification model; and Google’s proposal to set up an industry-funded self-regulatory body under federal oversight. Before even considering which regulatory agencies and policies to implement for AI, however, Congress should first define the limits of government power. The lesson of past technological innovation is not that the government should have no role; it is that its role should be circumscribed at the outset so that the technology is not stifled.” (08/13/26)
- Institutions That Bind Can Also Divide
Source: EconLog
by Maurizio Bovi“Inequality is often the outcome of processes regarded as fair. Yet advantages acquired fairly in one sphere—economic, educational, or political—rarely remain confined to the domain that produced them. As these advantages spill over into other areas, they reshape opportunities and outcomes over time, gradually transforming what began as tolerable disparities into broader patterns of unequal access and influence. This process is driven not only by individual choices but also by the institutions through which social life is organized. Inequality is inherently multidimensional, relational and dynamic.” (08/13/26)
https://www.econlib.org/library/columns/y2026/boviinstitutionsinequality
- Donald Trump’s Uncle Joe Moment
Source: The Bulwark
by Mona Charen“Every day that passes brings Trump closer to the Captain Queeg of The Caine Mutiny. Queeg ran over his own tow cable, had a nervous tic that involved ball bearings, and was obsessed with his stash of strawberries, but he was at least able to command a ship, which is more than can be said of the president. There are darker parallels, too. Failing leaders often seek scapegoats. Idi Amin blamed Asian immigrants for his nation’s woes. The Ottomans blamed the Armenians for their poor showing in World War I. The focus on vandals, though, suggests no one more than Josef Stalin, who invented a whole category of crime, ‘wrecking,’ to deflect blame for his idiotic economic catastrophes. Trump is no Stalin—he’s not as smart, for one thing. But he would surely have no moral qualms about Stalin if the old monster were around today.” (08/13/26)
- Originalism’s Better Meaning
Source: Law & Liberty
by John O McGinnis & Mike Rappaport“Originalism today is predominant yet divided. Courts regularly invoke original meaning, but originalist scholars still debate what interpretation itself requires. At the center of that division is the interpretation-construction distinction. Interpretation is the process of determining the meaning of a constitutional provision. Construction begins only when that meaning is deemed indeterminate—that is, when it is thought to run out—and the decision must be made on grounds other than the provision’s original meaning.” (08/13/26)
- Why Byron Donalds Fails the Free Market Test for Florida Governor
Source: Karl Dickey’s Freedom Vanguard
by Karl Dickey“While yes, others are competing in the Democratic and Republican Party primaries, it is clear Byron Donalds will be Florida’s next governor. Sadly, he and most of his competitors represent expansion of government power rather than expanding individual freedoms for Floridians and tourists visiting our state. This leaves principled voters looking for a genuine alternative—good luck. So, unless the insider trading and other allegations bear fruit, Donalds is the frontrunner to be Florida’s next governor, though I’d prefer to see a more freedom-based Floridian in the governor’s mansion. Donalds is no free market capitalist, regardless of his rhetoric.” (08/13/26)
https://palmbeachexaminer.substack.com/p/why-byron-donalds-fails-the-free
- US looking for “new creative” ways to fight a war it’s already “won”
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Mark Thompson“When you run out of munitions, start launching threats. That’s obviously President Donald Trump’s latest strategy (to misuse the word) as his promised short war against Iran drags into its sixth month. It’s The Bunker’s grim mission to note where the U.S. military is falling short. Much of that is due to the military itself, but just as large a share is the responsibility of the institutional factors that fund it, enable it, and order it into action. Bottom line: Focusing on fixing an airplane in hopes that it can fly right won’t work if you only tinker with those ailerons trailing off its wings, while ignoring the fuselage, engines, and crew.” (08/13/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/us-military-procurement-problems/
- Advisory Opinions, 08/13/26
Source: The Dispatch
“David Lat and Zachary Shemtob return as guest hosts and are joined by Adam Feldman, author of the blog Empirical SCOTUS and the Substack Legalytics, to discuss an update on birthright citizenship, some new polling about SCOTUS, and the criminal justice system’s newest heartthrob, Luigi Mangione, who will soon be tried for the murder of UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson.” (08/13/26)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/advisoryopinions/this-is-not-a-vibes-only-podcast/